Kobe Bryant mural near Lakers arena to be kept after landlord ordered for removal

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A mural of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, on a building near Crypto.com Arena, the Los Angeles venue where the late Hall of Famer played for his entire NBA career, was saved from being removed earlier this week.

The landlord of 400 West Pico Blvd. ordered for the mural to be taken down by the end of September in hopes of placing advertisements. It was put up shortly after Bryant and his daughter were killed in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020.

In response, Cecilia Moran, the owner of Hardcore Fitness, located in the building, helped drive a petition seeking to keep it up that received over 90,000 signatures, as well as the support of Bryant's widow, Vanessa. Initially, the deadline for the mural to be taken down was then extended a month.

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People gather in front of a mural of late NBA great Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna displayed on a building in downtown Los Angeles on Jan. 26, 2021. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

Hearing of the news, 2K Games digital marketing director Ronnie Singh, known as "Ronnie 2K" in the gaming community, decided to step in. He announced 2K Games, which releases the signature video game NBA 2K yearly (Bryant is this year's cover athlete), reached a deal with the landlord to keep the mural alive for at least one more year.

"For weeks and months, people have lined up in front of this beautiful mural, taking pictures. For us to be a part of saving this thing is just a celebration of basketball," Singh told reporters on Thursday, via USA Today. "This one means a lot to our community. It's basketball related. It's Kobe Bryant. Our cover